Chihayafuru 2 – 21

Chihayafuru has definitely picked up the pace, and that has me a little worried.

Ironic to say the least, that after many of weeks of wanting the series to speed things up a but, we get an episode that does just that and leaves me questioning its decision. Speeding up the plot progression is ultimately a difficult task that may work or at times fail miserably. If I had to pick between the two extremes, Chihayafuru pulled it off but with some visible flaws.

Chihaya’s first match just flew by. An aggressive back and forth with little refinement that we usually see in matches. Whilst the match just passed us by, it did well in injecting some comedy, when it came to Chihaya’s facial expressions and reactions to certain things done by her opponent. As quickly as the match was resolved, it was still entertaining in a different way. Seeing as how it’s considerably different from the other matches we’ve seen, it worked as something new.

The price for this season’s slow pace is being paid back in this episode, whether we like it or not. Luckily, this doesn’t extend to the Arata-Nishida match that took place in the second half of the episode. Not an eventful match by any measure – Arata won with little difficulty, even after Nishida put up a fight – and besides providing us with a look at the overpowered Arata’s skill, it finally addressed Nishida’s contributions to this season of Chihayafuru. I was beginning to think his poor performances were already forgiven and forgotten, so seeing him disappointed with himself gives me that little bit of closure on the matter. Nishida shouldn’t have got off the hook so easily, and playing Arata was the perfect punishment for him. Arata’s parents on the other hand, felt disappointed at their son’s win against Nishida….What an odd couple.

Afterwards we got to the end of the episode, where another reason for speeding through 2 matches became obvious. We’re back to the Queen vs Chihaya showdown which is a rare treat for us Chihayafuru fans because it happens only once a season and hopefully the next episode(s) will take a little more time to ensure it’s an exciting match. Its probable the aim of the season will be to finish off the individual tournament, but that shouldn’t be at the expense of an important rivalry.

I feel as though Chihayafuru has strayed a little from its usual high-level. As an episode this one was fine but I’d be lying if I said the increased pace didn’t feel unsettling.

I just checked out some summaries pertaining (chapters 85-86) to the Megumi-Chihaya match, and it appears that the manga rushed that match just as heavily, so Madhouse wasn't at fault here. I'll provide you the links here, but make sure that you avoid looking at the spoilers for chapters 87-88 in the second link. You (I, as well) probably don't want to get spoiled.http://tdx-manga.livejournal.com/13698.htmlhttp://tdx-manga.livejournal.com/17067.html

http://animeaura.com azeriraz

Interesting that the manga rushed the chapters. Not out of the realm of possibility but definitely surprising when you consider how manga tend to go at their own pace. At least I can't fault the Madhouse staff for this sudden change in pace.

Vincent

"We’re back to the Queen vs Chihaya showdown which is a rare treat for us Chihayafuru fans because it happens only once a season and hopefully the next episode(s) will take a little more time to ensure it’s an exciting match."

I really do wonder about just how competitive this match will be. Even a single swing brought to Chihaya a great deal of pain when she was matched up against Rion, leading to a hospital check-up after the ordeal was over and done with. Chihaya was basically willing herself in any way possible to finish the match after she gained a sizeable lead and Rion committed a fault, and I think it's likely that she's in no condition to play with her dominant hand. She should've used this opportunity to further her insight into Shinobu's game, but I now fear that the pair's upcoming match won't even make for a decent learning experience unless Chihaya takes with her the knowledge that she should never force herself to play through an injury.

http://animeaura.com azeriraz

The handicap certainly makes things a little more frustrating. Not only will this not be a learning experience for Chihaya – just speculating, but that seems to be the likely case – but it won't give us an idea of how far she is from Shinobu's level. Her victory over Rion was her making use of her handicap, but Shinobu won't flinch at Chihaya's injury.

Best outcome: Chihaya loses with a smaller gap, compared to the first time.

Vincent

On another note, Aruta has a very imposing swing/approach to the game. He seems to go for multiple cards before the decisive syllable is read, and this puts tons of pressure on his opponents to go for the right one, as Arata will get the cards if they do anything less than that. which is likely one of the reasons why his opponent in R1 committed two (double?) faults and was completely destroyed.

http://animeaura.com azeriraz

That's definitely a ridiculous skill he has. Being the most experienced player at the start of the series, it's good to see him back to his unbeatable self.

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